Make and Take Gals Head to Milwaukie!

On a sunny May morning in Portland, the Make and Take Gals piled into MJ's car for her Make and Take on the road! MJ planned our journey to Milwaukie, Oregon with a variety of factory stores and beautiful local boutiques. Our first stop was the Dave's Killer Bread Breadquarters, were we filled our sacks with all the favorites!

Across the street... Bob's Red Mill and rows upon rows of freshly ground grains, fresh baked bakery items, and all you need for healthy eating! As we prepared to leave Bob's, it was clear we brought too small of a car :)

It was time for the surprise Make and Take that MJ lined up for us. Heading onto Milwaukie's Main Street we pulled up to KMarie where our eyes rolled back in our heads as we entered this enchanted store. Kelli, the owner greeted us with a introduction of all the fun mischief one could get into in her paper play land.

We entered the workshop in the back and knew we had found paradise. Kelli had a beautiful farm table in the middle of the workshop all prepped for our project we would be making.

This Spring box was our goal and when complete would be the vessel for our next surprise stop 2 doors down from the KMarie!

Kelli's workshop, filled with every doodad invited us to explore every nook.

She provided nourishment for the crafting angels stright from chocolate heaven!

As Kelli guided us through our project, it was not long before we were all producing fluffy pink paper flowers for the top of our Spring Box.

After a wonderful 40 minutes of glitter and glue we finished our little treasures and regretted having to pack up and bid Kelli are gret big thank you and good bye.

The only thing that made it possible to skip out of Kelli's charming shop was that we were headed a few doors down to her sisters shop, Enchante
it was now time to fill our blooming Spring Boxes with chocolate treats. This sweet haven is a Parisian candy store for adults. Bobbles and sparkles surround a seemingly endless selection of homemade chocolates!

It was no easy task to select just a couple treats, but our time was growing to a close in Milwaukie. We left the enchanted sister's and their stunning boutiques and headed to Cha. Cha, Cha across the street for lunch, where we do what we do best, catch up on all the news in each others lives and ooogle over our treasures.

As we left Milwaukie downtown we made one last stop at the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store. It was a fun filled day of friendship and discovery!

Until next time...

September Make and Take Warms Up With Jean's Homespun Fall Treats!

 

 Fall has rolled into Portland with a chilly change to the season. After a deliciously long and hot summer, the brisk pumpkin weather took us by surprise. Our hostess, Jean, however planned for the transition in this month's Make and Take. With her skillful direction we revisited the cozy fleece blanket project and produced a splash of fall color blankets to cover our families in.













In addition we made a festive and beautiful Autumn Nut Bark that is insanely good!

No visit to Jean's house would be complete without testing out some delicious new salad recipes. Lunch was devine! Thank you Jean!

 Recipe can be found at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/greek-quinoa-salad-recipe/index.html

A Good WREAD! Book Wreath 101

Jean hosted the April Make and Take this month and guided us through the creation of Book Pages Wreaths! We started with a Styrofoam wreath, glue gun and a book we ripped the pages out of. Layer by layer we added the pages to complete one darling wreath!

For lunch, Jean set a darling table for our delicious chicken topped salads and caramel ice cream dessert! Thank you Jean for a wonderful afternoon!

Make and Take Gals ~ College Care Boxes Video!

~ Come Gather Around The Table!

A Patch of Pumpkins at Today's Make and Take!

The Make and Take gals gathered today at my house for the making of pumpkins. It did not take us long to find a rhythm in cutting, sewing, stuffing, and adorning our creations. Taking the idea that Jean found, Poh created patterns while I sourced the materials and hosted our lunch.Soon we had our own pumpkin patch taking over the kitchen.

For lunch I served a festive pomegranate quinoa salad with turkey panini. Dessert was pumpkin cheesecake in a jar and vanilla infused lemonade. A simple meal for a beautiful day of fun and friends around the sewing machine.

Recipes

Festive Pomegranate Quinoa
MaryJane Butters
Serves 6

1 cup quinoa (soak and rinse per box instructions)
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup orange juice,
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup chopped and toasted pecans
1 cup pomegranate seeds
3/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 feta crumbles
3-5 basil leaves, minced
Drizzle EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste

In medium saucepan, combine quinoa, juices and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15min until liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat, cover pot with lid and let set for 5 min. then fluff with fork. Cool completely.
Then add all remaining ingredients and mix well.

Vanilla Lemonade

Split one vanilla bean per gallon of lemonade. Scrape seeds into lemonade and put entire bean in as well. Let infuse overnight and serve chilled over ice.

Make and Take, May 2, 2010

April 2011 Make and Take Round 2, Wine Jelly!

We managed an extra Make and Take this month and produced some amazing white and cabernet wine jelly, blackberry, and marionberry jam. Pam hosted our gathering and had a few cute packaging ideas up her sleeve!

We started by making the wine jelly...

and we finished with a lovely lunch and lemon dessert!  Thank you Pam!

Wine Jelly Recipe 

adapted from Allrecipes.com

3 1/2 cups of your favorite drinking wine

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 (2oz) package of Surejell dry pectin

4 1/2 cups white sugar

Combine first three ingredients into a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam off top, if necessary.

Ladle hot jelly into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Tighten 2 piece lids. Process for 5 minutes covered in boiling water bath.

Serving suggestions:

The Make and Take gals like these jellies served over cream cheese with nuts sprinkled over top, or a top any hard cheese; as a meat marinade; ice cream or yogurt topping; on toast or scones; and when no one is looking...on a spoon inserted in mouth!  Enjoy! ~ MJ

Make and Take, June 11, 2010

Make and Take ~ June 2010, Happy Chocolate Puddles!

What a fun Make and Take!  Jean provided a playground for us to express our inner chocolate fantasies.  Over 10 different toppings to combine in clever ways on top our chocolate puddles!  I suggest you DO try this at home!

 Happy Chocolate Puddles

We used the Trader Joe's large dark and milk chocolate bars.  Melted them in glass bowls in the microwave and then ladled them onto parchment paper.  Jean cut a disc to guide making the shape so that the puddle would fill the CD envelope window.  Once the puddles are formed decorate the tops to your liking.  Jean had many to choose from.

Candied Orange

From Food Network Kitchens

Makes approx. 2 cups of peel slices 

Ingredients

• 6 thick-skinned Valencia or navel oranges
• 4 1/2 cups sugar, plus extra for rolling
• 1 1/2 cups water

Directions

Cut tops and bottoms off of the orange and score the orange into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the orange in large pieces, use the orange for another recipe. Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times depending up how assertive you want the orange peels to be. (Test kitchen liked the texture of a 3 time blanch best, it also mellowed the bitterness. But it is a matter of preference.) Remove the orange peels from the pan.

Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes (If you took the sugar's temperature with a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.) Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels get translucent, about 45 minutes. Resist the urge to stir the peels or you may introduce sugar crystals into the syrup. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around. Drain the peels, (save the syrup for ice tea.) Roll the peels in sugar and dry on a rack, for 4 to 5 hours. Return to the sugar to store.

Cook's Note: One way to use orange peels is to stuff a dried date with a piece of orange peel and almond, then dip the entire thing into dark chocolate.

Sugared Flowers

Paint petals with whipped egg whites.  Dust with extra fine sugar.

Lunch!

 

 Jean prepared an amazing pasta salad with a wide variety of veggies.  With that we enjoyed Rosemary skewers with mozzarella cheese and salami.  Delicioso!  Dessert, well let's just say SCHAMWOWZA!

 Chocolate Orange Cupcakes with Limoncello Frosting

By Giada

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• Orange juice (instead of water in cake mix)
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup diced candied orange peel (about 8 ounces) 

Frosting

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened (1/2 stick)
• 2 tablespoons limoncello (you can substitute with 2 tablespoons lemon juice for minors)
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 orange, zested
• 1/4 cup finely diced candied orange peel, for garnish
• Special equipment: cupcake liners, 2 muffins pans

Directions

First make the cupcakes: mix the chocolate cake mix according to package instructions, substituting orange juice for the water. Toss the chocolate chips with the flour. Fold the chocolate chips and the candied orange peel into the chocolate mixture. Line the muffin pan with the cupcake liners. Fill and bake the cupcakes according to package instructions. Let the cupcakes cool for 1 hour on a wire rack before frosting.

To make the frosting: combine all the ingredients except the candied orange peel in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Using a small spatula, place about 1 tablespoon of frosting on top of each cupcake. Top with a small sprinkle of candied orange peel.

Thank you Jean! 

~ MJ
Copyright 2010 MJ's Table Talk

Make and Take, May 6, 2010

Make and Take ~ May 2010, A Purse Full Of Chocolate!

April was skipped over for our meeting last month as our members were pulled in other directions, so when I saw today was finally another Make and Take, I was filled with joy!  We gathered at Poh's this morning and lingered over tea and carrot bread while we caught up on all the news.  Then Poh had a little something extra to share by roasting garlic.

Roasted garlic Recipe:

Cut tops off garlic, making sure all cloves have top cut off.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, sprinkle with fresh Thyme, and then drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for one hour, or until golden on 400 degree oven.  Serve as a spread from the garlic head or remove roasted cloves and serve in your favorite recipe like mashed potatoes!

The house smelled divine as we worked on our main project.  Favors, and darling ones that we would be making for an event that Jean's mother was sponsoring.  Knowing we would be happy to produce the little satchels, Jean laid out a gorgeous array of pre-cut papers for us to get to work on.  Soon the table filled with one cuter than the next, purse favor filled with mini-chocolate bars!

 It wasn't long before the smell of the roasted garlic and Poh's cooking beckoned us to lunch.  Once again Poh created a delicious selection for us to enjoy...and we did!

Purse Favor How To:

To make your own chocolate purse favors, which I think would make cute place card holders as well, take a decorative strip of 1 1/2 in wide x 6" long.  Trim corners on one side and cut a solid complimentary color rectangle to glue behind the end where corners are trimmed.  Rectangle and be 1/2" long by 1 1/2 wide.  Then poke small holes 1 inch from layer end and 3/4" from the straight end.  Fold the bottom straight end up under the layer end and secure with a colorful brad through the 2 holes.  Insert 2 mini-chocolate bars that you double-side tape together and then again tape to bottom of purse.  Pinch the top to form the triangle shape of the purse and cut a complementing piece of ribbon as the handle.  We used double sided tape for all the securing.  That's it!  Enjoy as treats for Mother's day or your next party!

Thank you Poh and gals for another wonderful Make and Take!

~ MJ
Copyright 2010 MJ's Table Talk